The Golden State Warriors have made their second selection at the 2025 NBA Draft, trading up to the 56th overall pick where they've taken Florida Gators national champion Will Richard.
After drafting Alex Toohey 52nd overall, the Warriors have acquired Richard in a somewhat surprise move given the 6'3"guard wasn't projected to be taken at all on Thursday night.
The Warriors have taken a draft sleeper in Will Richard
Major mock drafts from ESPN, The Ringer and Yahoo Sports had Richard going undrafted, making this a pick that few saw coming. Richard is coming off a season where he started in all 40 games for the Gators, averaging 13.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.7 steals while shooting 48.7% from the floor and 35.9% from 3-point range.
Richard has four years of collegiate experience, having played his freshman year at Belmont before transferring to Florida. He finished his college career averaging 11.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game, shooting 46.3% from the floor and 35.5% from 3-point range.
The Warriors clearly liked Richard enough to use their 2032 second-round pick (top 50 protected), along with the draft rights to Justinian Jessup, to move up from the 59th pick to the 56th pick, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
John Hollinger of The Athletic had Richard at 62 on his big board, with a few concerning statements on his ability to stick in the league. Hollinger mentions that Richard "is strictly an off-ball player, but you can’t strictly call him a 3-and-D guy either," and "that the margins are thin here given his size and meh athleticism."
Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports has given the franchise a B- grade for this pick, stating that Richard "projects as a strong fit for the Warriors, provided he can find consistency shooting off the catch."
It's likely that one or both of Toohey and Richard find themselves on two-way contracts, or could even go without a contract altogether if Golden State see them as draft-and-stash players who need development in the G League or internationally.
At 22-years-old and with his college experience, Richard may be closer to making a rotation impact and therefore be on the main roster. Still, it's a bit of a reach from the Warriors given almost all draft analysts expected him to go undrafted.